Then he told George Dross of what had occurred.
"Oscar's move was the bravest I ever saw!" declared Andy.
The young captain now ordered that they follow the Ivan II. closely and this was done.
As expected, the course of the big Russian cruiser was for Cape Nome and soon she came to a stand about five miles from the sea front of the city.
"Now we have her at our mercy," said Andy.
But for once the young lieutenant was mistaken.
The foreign ships—or at least a fair number of them—had profited by the destruction of the craft wrecked by the Holland XI. and had adopted a curious device by which they might be warned of the near approach of a submarine ship.
From the under side of the keel of the Ivan II. there ran a number of wires, stretching out in all directions, like the spokes of some gigantic bicycle wheel.
These wires were connected with an alarm bell on the ship, which would ring, by an electric circuit, the moment any large mass of metal touched them.
The new Holland was going ahead at a fair rate of speed, when, by aid of the searchlight, the lookout announced the discovery of some odd-looking wires ahead.